How to pronounce ken
Say it like KEN. Ken is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce ken. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- KEN
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Ken pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KENSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of ken
American and British speakers say ken in essentially the same way: /kɛn/ in the US and /kɛn/ in the UK.
British respelling: KEN.
What does ken mean?
- range of what one can know or understand“beyond my ken”
- the range of vision“out of sight of land”
Where does ken come from?
Cognate with West Frisian kenne (“to know; recognize”), Dutch kennen (“to know”), German kennen (“to know, be acquainted with someone/something”), Norwegian Bokmål kjenne, Norwegian Nynorsk kjenna, Old Norse kenna (“to know, perceive”), Swe
Words that rhyme with ken
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of ken.
Questions about saying ken
How do you pronounce ken?
Say KEN. The American pronunciation is /kɛn/. In British English it is /kɛn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in ken?
Ken is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: KEN.
Do Americans and Brits say ken the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /kɛn/ and the British form is /kɛn/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.